Articles

• Perfect Parenting? by Dr. Juli Slattery - May 2, 2013

  Thou shalt make your children eat broccoli. Thou shalt not give your child an unsterilized pacifier. Thou shalt let your teen sleep in on Saturdays.

• 7 Steps to An Amazing Guest Experience - January 16, 2013

  There are many reasons people attend your church on any given Sunday. They may be new to the community and looking for a church home, or maybe they are new to church in general and are checking it out. Perhaps they used to be regular church attender somewhere but are now looking for someplace new to attend with their family. Maybe they are unchurched and have had a significant life event that has them searching for answers and “church” seems like the logical place to turn. Whatever the reason is that someone attends your church for the first time, you can rest assured they are coming with expectations. These expectations are often based on experiences they’ve had growing up, experiences with other churches and maybe even experiences they’ve had with Christians.

• 5 Tough Challenges for Any Pastor - October 22, 2012

  It may be one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Indeed, it may be an impossible job to do in our own strength. I know. Before I was LifeWay’s president or a seminary dean, I served as pastor of four churches. I know. I have heard from countless pastors in countless churches. Their stories are similar to mine. So I asked the question: What specific part of being a pastor is the most difficult for you? Here are my five tough challenges for pastors.

• How to Break Free from Status Quo Leadership - October 22, 2012

  I confess. I shouldn’t have this nagging fear, but I do. I am sometimes haunted by the possibility that I failed to make a critical decision as a leader, and I missed the opportunity to make a difference in this world. It’s easy sometimes not to make a decision, to let the perceived status quo become our daily agenda. Instead of becoming a leader who is a change agent, we become managers who carry out routine tasks. Frankly, I don’t want to live my life in the world of “what if.” I don’t want to look back on this brief time God has given us and realize that I failed to act or to make key decisions. I don’t want to be guilty of one of the most damaging types of sins, the sins of omission.

• A Pastor’s Dirty Little Secret - October 22, 2012

  Peter Drucker, the late leadership guru, said that the four hardest jobs in America (and not necessarily in order, he added) are: * The President of the United States * A university president * A CEO of a hospital and * A pastor Is that true? Pastors love God and love people. They get to pray for people, lead people to a faith in Jesus Christ and teach the Word about God. That’s the dream job. You can read the Bible all day, pray, play a little golf and preach. I want to do that!! Here is the secret. Being a pastor is hard work. It’s not for wimps.

• “Your prayer request got in my text messages!” ”Your text messages got me praying!” - September 6, 2012

  Like chocolate and peanut butter, prayer requests and text messaging go to together in a surprisingly delicious way: Calorie free praying! Could there be a more noble and wonderful purpose for mobile phones than helping us pray more? It sure beats texting about what someone had for lunch yesterday.

• Rick Warren: Healthy Churches Have Pastors Who Stay - July 24, 2012

  Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life, shares how important it is to the health of a church that pastors stick around for the long run.

• We Believe: 30 Days to Understanding Our Heritage - May 2, 2012

  Perhaps you’ve heard about We Believe: 30 Days to Understanding Our Heritage; but if you haven’t, you’ll be surprised by how effectively it teaches our great American tradition. Like nothing else, this power packed paperback helps people internalize core American values.

• Top Reason Visitors Don't Return: Unanswered Questions - April 12, 2012

  If a first time visitor to your church has to ask more than one question, you’ve probably lost them, for good. Here’s why. We live in America. American’s by nature shop. Shoppers not only shop, they compare. Not only do they compare, they keep score. When Americans (your outreach target) walk into a store, restaurant, movie, doctors office, or church, they are keeping score. Shopping, comparing, and keeping score is not just a part of our American culture, it’s who we are. When a first time visitor can’t figure something out on their own, they are forced to go ask a question. The reason this is such a big deal is Americans expect their questions to be answered for them. In their Monday-Saturday cultural norm, most questions are answered before they have to ask. So when they have to ask a question at your church on Sunday, they get frustrated (the opposite of a positive first impression). That one frustration generates a negative mark on their shoppers score card and once your visitor gets a few of those, they won’t return to your church ever again.

• The Art of Sunday Communication - April 12, 2012

  This Sunday I had a chance to observe an artist paint a sermon. Here’s what made this sermon art: Relevant was used to help communicate the Biblical point. Multimedia. The sermon included the language of today (multimedia) throughout. Sermon notes helped people learn, slides on the big screen helped people not miss a point or a Scripture reference, and a video clip helped engage the senses and pull people emotionally into the message.

• 14 Questions to Determine if You're an Effective Pastor - November 30, 2011

  This is for pastors of all shapes and sizes. Answer the questions in your own language and face the facts about your ministry efficacy as seen through a 90 years young colleague's eyes. It's brutal!

• Bill Hybels on Leadership - November 28, 2011

  Here's a nice clip of Bill Hybels talking about the importance of Leadership study on an ongoing basis.

• A Wired World - November 6, 2011

  The computer revolution and the Internet are also changing Christian evangelism and discipleship, in ways which are only just beginning. Just as the Roman road system in New Testament times enabled the rapid spread of the Gospel, the Internet is also becoming an effective worldwide channel for evangelism.

• The God Pocket - September 30, 2011

  What if you could take a little something out of your pocket today that would make God visible—and then give that little something to another person you just met?

• Looking for Cost-Effective Advertising for Your Church - Think BIG! - September 1, 2011

  Did you know that our tough economic times offer your church a huge opportunity? Statistics show that churches experience significant growth during tough economic times.

• Barna Study Explores Faith in New York Since 9-11 - August 29, 2011

  In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, millions of Americans flocked to churches and houses of worship. But, for most, the shift in spiritual behavior was short lived.

• Why Order 100,000 DVDs of a Movie for Outreach? - August 16, 2011

  Entertainment is a "god" of this country and a big problem every Bible believing church and Christian faces today. Secular entertainment has blinded us to the things of God and dulled our desire to live and hear from Him.

• Funny and Unique Church Signs! - August 3, 2011

  Sometimes we all just need to sit back and have a laugh! Enjoy!

• The Mandate: Making Disciples that Make Disciple-Makers Lionshare Leadership Group - February 15, 2011

  Regardless of what domain we are called to serve, as followers of Jesus we have been commanded to “make disciples”: reproducing the character, ways and mission of Jesus in those around us expecting them to multiply the same within others. As followers of Jesus, disciple-making must always be our aim and end. After all, it is what Jesus has specifically commanded us to do.

• Developing A Discipleship Ministry Core Discipleship Ministry - February 14, 2011

  Though Jesus had many who followed, He chose only twelve ordinary men with a mixture of backgrounds and personalities to be His disciples. Jesus’ entire ministry depended upon these men who would go on to start the Christian Church. He began His discipleship ministry in prayer:

• Community Outreach Ideas for Churches Brian Tubbs - February 10, 2011

  Looking for free ideas for church growth? This article provides several ways to help make the church grow and reach the community for Christ.

• What Does the Bible Say About Outreach? Brian Tubbs - February 10, 2011

  Not all churches want to grow. Some churches like being small. What does the Bible say about church growth and outreach? What are some Bible verses on church growth?

• Ten Ways a Coach Can Rocket Your Church Growth Disciple Like Jesus Ministry - February 7, 2011

  Why does rapid growth happen to some churches but not others? No doubt some factors are out of your control. Take for example the economy or your church location. However God gives you more control than you may realize. God wants your church to grow and to intentionally make disciples!

• Dynamic Church Growth Through Family Discipleship Disciple Like Jesus Ministry - January 22, 2011

  Church leaders are struggling to curtail the massive exodus of between seventy and ninety four percent of church children; well over two million are being lost each year. According to Barna Research, less than one half of one percent of young adults have a biblical worldview; that is less than one in two hundred!

• What is the Most Effective Way to Invite People to Church? - November 11, 2010

  Many pastors struggle with where to spend their limited advertising budgets. They wonder and experiment with different ways to invite people to church. When I began to think about writing an article on inviting people to church, I stumbled across an excellent article by Kevin Hendricks on the Internet entitled "You're Invited: Bringing People to Church."

• 7 Questions Skeptics Ask - November 11, 2010

  Picture the scene. You're discussing your faith with a coworker or neighbor, perhaps over lunch or coffee. You explain your beliefs but your friend has questions: How could a loving God allow evil and suffering? The Bible is full of contradictions. What about people who've never heard of Jesus?

• Could God Use You in Internet Evangelism? - November 11, 2010

  Could God use you to reach people for Christ via the Internet? The answer may surprise you! I'm no techie! "How could I ever use the Internet to reach people for Christ?"